Choosing 10 interviews out of about 100 that we conducted last year has been a challenge. Some interviews stick out for their star power (Shaggy, Good Charlotte, Chingy), while others may not be as famous but were more entertaining to watch (Nellie McKay, John Legend, Sugarcult). The final list incorporates the two characteristics. It?s been a good year; we look forward to more great interviews in 2005.

1. Wyclef Jean- This former Fugee has been a target of ours since andPOP started in 2000. Wyclef was our very first interview that we requested?also our first interview request that was denied. Four years later, we were excited to finally conduct the interview and it turned out to be one of the best andPOP has ever been a part of. Wyclef was talkative, he freestyled for 2 minutes, and he revealed for the first time that The Fugees were reuniting. That piece of news was mentioned in newspapers and on radio stations across the world. This will be difficult to top in 2005.

2. Five for Fighting- John Ondrasik, the Grammy-nominated genius behind Five for Fighting, is without a doubt the most gracious artist we’ve ever had the pleasure of dealing with. Our 15-minute conversation seemed like a chat between two old hockey-loving friends. Too bad his Kings don’t stand a chance against the Leafs if the NHL ever resumes.

3. Shaggy- This is where the star power comes in. Shaggy kept us waiting for 2 hours while he ate and spoke on the phone. When the interview finally got underway, he warned us that he was a little intoxicated, which was a positive since it meant he was more honest in the interview.

4. John Legend- At the time of the interview in November, nobody knew who John Legend was except us. People are still just catching on to this music marvel, but when we look back at this interview in a few years, we’ll realize how lucky we were to talk with Legend before he reaches the superstar status. During the interview, Legend performed a medley of songs on which he sang the chorus or hook, plus he performed a little of two new songs.

5. k-os- It’s always great to speak with k-os. Although we bump into him all the time downtown, our interview in August was our third official interview with the singing rapper. k-os has made it clear that he is not the biggest fan of being interviewed, but our interviews always go very smoothly and people have emailed us saying how much they learn from him while watching our conversation. His views on the music industry are worth paying attention to.

6. Nellie McKay- Nellie is an artist that sold about 500,000 albums this year but should have sold much more, if only radio caught on sooner. She is the most mature 19-year-old one will ever meet. And she was a lock for our top 10 list when she asked, “do you get beat up a lot?” (Watch the interview to hear the quote in context. It will make a little more?though still not perfect?sense.)

7. JC Chasez- This ‘N Sync member was relaxed and willing to answer anything.

8. Ashlee Simpson- This interview was conducted early in the summer with Ashlee on the line from New York before her album was released and before the whole lip-syncing scandal. Little did we know then that she’d outsell her sister.

9. Kaley Cuoko- Another phone interview, this time with Kaley speaking to us from a movie set in Toronto (why we couldn’t meet up will forever remain a mystery). She spoke in detail about John Ritter’s passing and her feelings about his sudden death on the set of 8 Simple Rules about a year earlier. She said that she almost quit the show.

10. Tamia- Our third phone interview to make the list is with Mrs. Grant Hill, R&B singer Tamia. She makes the list for being so candid about her battle with multiple scleroses.

Honourable mentions: Chingy (because he’s a Balla, Baby), Hanson (because they bring thousands of girls to the site), Andrew WK (because there’s nobody quite like Mr. WK), Yellowcard (see: Hanson), Natasha Henstridge (because she was thankful to get away from another “celebrity” at her dinner table), Bret Hart (because he could kick our asses), Doug Gilmour (because he was highsticked by Wayne Gretzky), Morris Peterson (because he wants to party with us and Paris Hilton), and Jerry Stackhouse (because he was the only NBA player willing to sing on camera for us this year).


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